UUFSMA: “Hearing Mom’s Voice” [] *ONLINE*

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Online Service
“Hearing Mom’s Voice”
Speaker: Rev. Tom Rosiello

Sunday, May 10, 2020
10:30 am

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/414604040 

Password: 294513

By Joseph Plummer

UUF Secretary

Contrary to popular notions, Mother’s Day was not created by the Hallmark Company to sell greeting cards. Women committed to social justice established this Sunday to honor mothers around the world and motivate them to rise for peace. After writing the Battle Hymn of the Republic, Unitarian Julia Ward Howe went on to create the holiday and, since then, it has become an annual celebration of the esteem in which mothers deserve to be held for their love and sacrifice in bearing each new generation of humans. However, Howe did not make this observance happen alone. Her Methodist predecessor, Anna Jarvis, worked to raise awareness of the poor state of public health conditions in her Appalachian community. She too believed mothers could become the most successful advocates for many social causes.

As Rev. Tom Rosiello, the Fellowship’s Affiliate Minister, will emphasize, for these pioneering feminists, Mother’s Day became a day when women’s voices would not be ignored, even in the celebration’s early years before women could vote. In her Mother’s Day Proclamation, Julia Ward Howe called on women to: “Arise then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts… Say firmly: We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies.”

Besides exploring these historic Unitarian roots, Rev. Rosiello will also reflect on the feelings of daughters and sons toward their mothers and consider the tireless struggle of mothers providing for and raising children in Mexico and throughout a patriarchal world where their work remains widely unrecognized.

The service will also include the voices of women in the proclamations and pacifist hymns of Julia Ward Howe and the Hispano-Anglo poetry of Rev. Theresa Soto. Pianist and vocalist Malcolm Halliday will perform Mother’s Day musical selections and lead the UUFSMA online fellowship in singing hymns.

To participate in our online Sunday Service, visit the Fellowship’s website at www.uufsma.org and click on the Zoom Service button displayed on the home page. If requested, enter password: 294513. Sign-in between 10:15-10:25 am.

Through grants and awards, UUFSMA donates fifty percent of all income it receives to support nonprofit organizations that provide health, educational, and environmental services for underserved communities in the San Miguel region. Please support this work by clicking on the home page’s Donate button. Now more than ever, your support is essential.

Due to the arrival of the coronavirus in San Miguel de Allende, UUFSMA has indefinitely suspended Sunday services and other gatherings. We advise members and friends to follow the advice of reputable public health authorities, such as the Centers for Disease Control, and to contact our Affiliate Minister or Care Team for needed assistance. The UU Fellowship welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Our fellowship was born in 1987 when a small group of expatriate religious liberals came together to meet as Unitarian Universalists in San Miguel de Allende. The fellowship has been active and thriving ever since. Every UU church has it’s own flavor, and we are no exception. We are a combination of expats and visitors, each actively engaged and contributing to this wonderful Mexican community we love. Because there is a coming, going, and returning aspect, our spiritual community is extremely fluid.  There is a magic in San Miguel which draws us in and binds us together—both as members of the church and of the larger community. Our programming is led by visiting ministers, community leaders, and church members, so the variety is lively. We have opportunities to meet as UU’s each week at discussion groups, breakfasts, luncheons, and in various other ways. Depending on the season, attendance fluctuates between 40 and 140. Our primary focus is on funding social action within the surrounding community. We love good music, good discussion, good food, and having visitors. We invite you to join us any Sunday morning.

Members regularly post updates and information on this site. We also post meeting minutes and announcements there.

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https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/UUFSMA/info

Click on “membership”and follow the directions.

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